Seat



Sept. 29, 1942. E KOMENDA SEAT Filed Nov. 26, 195s 2 shets-sheet 1 Sept29, 1942- E. KOMENDA 2,297,224

SEAT Filed Nov. 26, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. @Wm /fammda Bw?.a, M

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 SEAT Erwin Komenda, Stuttgart-Korntal, Germany;vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application November 26, 1938,Serial No. 242,527 In Germany December 6, 1937 Claims.

This invention relates to seats, especially of the type adapted for usein motor vehicles, and it is an object of the present invention toprovide a seat which is Very low in manufacturing cost and at the sametime provides a comfortable and durable product.

Another object of the invention is to provide a seat, the base of whichis constructed of a material to which the upholstery fabric can bereadily attached, as by stapling, sewing, gluing, or the like.

It is another object of the invention to utilize such a base materialand to so construct the base that it will interlock with said supportingmembers, such as longitudinal beams.

Another object is to provide simple, inexpensive attaching means forfastening the seat in place upon its supports.

Other objects will appear from the following description of anillustrative embodiment of the invention taken together with theattached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a transverse cross-section through a seatembodying theinvention and through the longitudinal seat supports;

Fig. 2 is a detail cross-sectional view taken on the line 1li-IVI ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional View taken on the line III- III ofFig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3, taken alongthe line IV-IV of Fig. 5, drawn to a larger scale and illustrating amodifled construction; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the modified construction illustrated inFig. 4.

Referring to said drawings, the numeral I indicates the base of the seatwhich, for reasons which will become apparent, is constructed of amaterial which may be formed to shape, which is readily perforable (forthe reception of wire staples, for sewing, etc.), and to whichpreferably glue and other adhesives will readily adhere. Among thematerials contemplated are fibre, cardboard, imitation leather,Pertinax, etc. Pertinax, as is commonly known, consists of fibrousmaterial such as paper, impregnated with an artificial resin such asphenol formaldehyde, forming a hard, strong but easily formed materialwhich will retain its shape and is easily perforated. As seen in Fig. 1,the ends 2 and 3 of the seat base I have been bent upwardly, outwardly,and downwardly, so that in use these end portions serve to t over theseat supporting members 4 and 5 which are preferably longitudinallyextending tubular members,

as shown. The upholstery fabric I of the cushion, which may be otherwiseof usual construction, has its edges 8 and 9 folded around thedownwardly extending edges 2 and 3 of the cushion base and are attachedthereto, as shown, by means of a series of staples II), as is shownclearly in Fig. 2.

As shown in Fig. 3, the forward edge and also the rear edge (not shown)of the cushion base I is also bent upwardly and then downwardly toincrease the rigidity and strength of the base and to provide thedownwardly extending edge I4 around which the edges I5 of the upholstery'I may be folded and preferably attached, as by staples I0.

It will be noted that the base member is originally sheet materialwhich, by the use of a suitable form, and the application of heat, ifnecessary, is formed or molded to the shape shown which, on account ofits construction, provides a stiff and rigid base even though thematerial itself may be rather thin, which base Will adequately serve asa support for springs S of any usual or suitable construction. Saidsprings support at their upper ends the usual padding P.

In view of the unique characteristics of the cushion base material whichpermits of its being formed or molded to any desirable shape, numerousmodifications of the invention are possible. Thus, for example, thebottom portion I6 of the cushion base itself may be formed wavy orcorrugated and in some cases strengthened through a sheet of cardboardor fibre, such as illustrated by the V-shaped sheet material I'I of Fig.3, or the strengthening element may consist of thin sheet metal, inwhich case, the flange thereof might be slit, with tabs bent uptherefrom, which tabs would then, upon application of the reinforcingmaterial to the cushion base, penetrate it and then be clinched over.Such a construction is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, showing thin metalstrengthening members I8 having split flanges one of which I9 extendsthrough suitable openings in the bottom portion I6 of the cushion baseand is then bent over to hold the strengthening members in place.However, sewing of the edge of the cushion base would also come intoconsideration. All these special forms are immaterial, which is ofcourse also true of the materials used for upholstering and also how theseat frame is built.

The invention is not only applicable to cushions for power vehicles butto cushions of all types whether as seat cushions alone, or whether ascushion backs, or in some cases also as arm cushions.

The word fibre as applied to the material of which the base is formed asused in this specification is intended to include any material which maybe formed to shape by bending and pressing and which at the same time issufficiently perforable for the reception of wire staples, or forsewing, or the like.

In the left half of Fig. 1, means are shown for fastening the seat uponthe seat supports. This occurs through a plurality of clips Il formed ofspring steel one end portion l2 of which is passed through an aperturein the seat base I and bent over, and whose other end I3 is preferablysplit and is received in a slit in the seat support 4 or 5, thus servingto hold the seat cushion down in place upon its supports.

It will be noted that the construction shown and described will serveadmirably -to accomplish theobjects stated above. It is to beunderstood, however, that the construction disclosed above is intendedmerely as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting as variousmodifications therein may be made without departing from Vthe inventionas defined by a proper interpretation of the claims which follow.

I claim:

l. In a seat structure, especially for .motor vehicles and adapted torest upon spaced-seat supporting members, comprising a base member,resilient means supported by said base member, and upholsterysurrounding said resilient means, said base member being formed of`fibre formed to such a shape that the end portions thereof extend oversaid seat supports and then downwardly, said upholstery being extendeddownwardly under and .folded upwardly over the `said downwardlyVextending portions of .saidbase member, andv then directly .attachedthereto.

2. In a seat structure, especially for motor vehicles, comprising a basemember, resilient means supported by said base member, a strengtheningmember of sheet material attached at spaced points to said base member,the intermediate portions of said strengthening member being bent awayfrom said base member, and upholstery surrounding said resilient means,said base member consisting of fibrous material impregnated withartificial resin pressed in such a shape that ...the end portionsthereof extend downwardly,

'said upholstery being extended downwardly un- 4`der and folded upwardlyover the said downwardly extending portions of said base member, and'then directly attached thereto.

3. In a seat structure according to claim 1 in which the seat isattached to said seat supporting members by means which pass throughapertures in the base and in the supporting members.

4. In a seat structure, in combination, a base member formed of hard,impregnated brousmaterial having downwardly formed edges, a plurality ofsubstantially V-shaped sheet, strengthl ening members for said basemember, the ends of the legs of said V-shaped member being outwardlyflanged, means for attaching said V- shaped members to said Abase memberthrough said flanges, resilient means supported by said base member,upholstery surrounding said resilient means, and means for attachingsaid up.. holstery to the downwardly formed edges ofsaid base member.

5. The combination according to claim 4, in which said strengthening.members consist of sheets of pasteboard, and said rst named attachingmeans are staples extending through said strengtheningv members and basemember.

ERWIN KOMENDA.

